Implicit and Explicit Motor Learning Interventions Have Similar Effects on Walking Speed in People After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Therapists knew which method they were delivering, so the comparison was not double-blinded. 10 participants did not meet the baseline walking speed criterion, and 19 participants (24.1%) were excluded from the per-protocol analysis; the authors stated this may have made the study underpowered. The sample was heterogeneous, which may have reduced the ability to detect a difference between the methods. The interventions were tailored, and the authors could not clearly confirm that the implicit condition produced a distinct implicit learning process. The cognition subgroup analysis was descriptive only because group sizes were too small for statistical testing.

This work was supported by Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA (RAAKPRO; grant number 2014–01-49PRO). The supplied text does not report other conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that analogy-based implicit learning improves walking speed more than detailed verbal instruction. The primary outcome showed no significant between-group difference immediately after the intervention or at 1 month, and both groups had similar within-group gains.